This invention relates to return business forms assemblies, or "mailers", and has particular reference to return continuous business forms assemblies comprising a continuous web assembly made up of a plurality of interleaved continuous webs secured together and capable of receiving data applied thereto as by a typewriter or print unit. The mailer includes a sheet embodying transfer material to enable data applied to the top web to be duplicated (and sometimes selectively duplicated) on an underlying web or webs. An exemplary business forms assembly of the general type of the invention is described in British patent specification no. 1237659. Such assemblies have also included a composite web which constituted a return envelope web. Such an assembly is shown in FIGS. 8 to 16 of British patent specification no. 1237659. It is also known to provide a continuous business forms assembly embodying two or more continuous webs one of which has marginal areas of adhesive with tear off lines of perforations within the areas of adhesive to enable the marginal areas of adhesive to be detached by tearing along the lines of perforations by the eventual customer Such an assembly is described in European patent specification no. 143622.
According to the present invention, an improved construction of return continuous business forms assembly, or mailer, is provided.
The mailer according to the present invention includes an improved return envelope and a part capable of being able to readily receive typewritten or handwritten information and capable of being inserted into the return envelope part where it can be returned to the initial sender and the information processed by such initial sender.
According to one aspect of the present invention a return continuous envelope business forms assembly comprises a plurality of webs (secured together) of which the first part is able to receive data applied to it as by a typewriter or print unit, and an underpart (insert) comprises a part to receive information supplied by a customer and a further part comprises a composite web (return envelope) and wherein the composite web comprises two plies one of which bears marginal areas of. adhesive and the assembly having lines of tear off perforations within the marginal areas of adhesive to enable the marginal areas of adhesive to be removed and the underpart of the assembly processed by the customer.
Preferably the first part of the assembly bears transfer material to enable information applied to the first part to be reproduced on at least one of the underlying parts. Conveniently the transfer material is arranged to enable the information to be selectively applied to the underlying parts.
The composite web may comprise one ply with areas of adhesive arranged on three sides of the ply with lines of perforations within the areas of adhesive and the fourth side bears processable adhesive (for example adhesive covered by a barrier coating) provided on a flap part of the composite webs to enable the composite web part to be sealed.
According to another aspect of the present invention a return envelope business forms assembly comprises a plurality of webs and wherein one of the webs bears adhesive in an adhesive pattern comprising a plurality of areas of adhesive in lines with the lines of areas divided into two separate parts by a gap with one separate part of adhesive being contacted by one ply of the plurality of webs and the other separate part of adhesive being contacted by another ply of the plurality of webs.